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Fly-Posting and Graffiti

Fly-posting/adverts and graffiti

What is fly-posting?

This is the display of advertising material on buildings and street furniture without the consent of the owner, contrary to the provisions of the regulations.

Please see information on the Environment Law website.

For those persons wishing to advertise events you should ensure any advertising complies with the guidance.

Our aim

Keeping the highways clear of litter, street furniture clean and property free of graffiti is a responsibility shared by the council, residents and all who use our services.

We want you to feel good about the area you live and work in.

Fly-posting is illegal in public places without the consent of the owner and fly-posting is not accepted in Rushcliffe. Furthermore fly-posting is an anti-social activity that creates a negative impression of an area and contributes to people's fear of crime. If the posters are not removed they will slowly rot, becoming more unsightly and causing litter. In addition, the businesses involved are gaining an unfair advantage over law abiding businesses by not paying for advertising space.

We have the power to remove items attached to the highway- trees; bridges, lamp posts, road signs and other street furniture. We take fly-posting seriously and will pursue and take action against fly-posters.

We will:

  • remove any fly-posters from the public highway, council property, or street furniture that relate to advertising anything of a commercial nature and take the appropriate enforcement action that may include the issuing of fixed penalty notices or a prosecution. We may also recharge our costs for removing any posters from anybody gaining benefit from the advert. 
  • remove graffiti on property that we own or are responsible for. We may also be able to organise the removal of graffiti from privately owned property.

You can help by:

  • reporting any fly-posting or graffiti by using our online forms or you can call us on 0115 981 9911.

Charitable/community events

Although the organisers of some charitable or community events choose to advertise on the public highway, this is contrary to the Highways Act 1980. Adverts on the public highway, be they on lamp columns, traffic signs or signals, trees or pedestrian barriers, highway verges, can pose a danger to both pedestrians and motorists, and they also make an area look untidy and create an eyesore.

However, we will not generally take any action to remove charitable fly posting or prosecute the organisers. A charitable event may be for religious, educational, cultural, political, social or recreational purposes. Any event must be for purely charitable purposes and cannot be for any commercial purpose. We require that organisers observe the following conditions:

  • Adverts should only be affixed to lamp columns, and not to traffic signs, traffic signals, trees or pedestrian barriers.  They should not be on telegraph poles, bus stops or utilities boxes.
  • Adverts should not be placed within 5m of a traffic junction.
  • The method of affixing the advert must not damage the lamp column in any way.
  • Adverts should not be affixed earlier than seven days before the event, and removed within 24 hours after then event.
  • All fixings must be removed when the advert is removed.
  • Thought should be given to the size, design and number of adverts. Large banners will not be acceptable. Typically no more than A4 in size and a minimal number sited local to the event.
  • The adverts should state the name of the charity that is benefiting from the event. Also include charity registration number where available.
  • Please note that we may remove and confiscate any adverts that do not observe these conditions, or pose a danger, are offensive, or too numerous.
  • The event must be purely for charitable reasons and not have a commercial element or be solely commercial.

Advertising any local event should be undertaken in a variety of methods including social media and local publications and not rely on the public posting of such events.

 

 

Do it online

Documents to download

Useful links

 

Enviro-crime